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The Joys of Juicing!!

At the beginning of November we dusted off the old juicer and decided to start using it again on a daily basis. I bought some bulk fruit and veggies; carrots, celery, apples and oranges and started juicing every day with our kids. It has been really fun to allow the kids to help me and to watch them really enjoy the different flavours of juices that we make together.

Their favorite juice is Apple/Orange/Carrot juice, its sweet and filled with goodness (recipe below). I also put 5 drops of children’s probiotics into the juice each day so that they are getting a regular probiotic, as we do not consume yogurt or other dairy products which sometime have probiotics in them.

Juicing provides vital nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals for our bodies to repair themselves, it also helps strengthen the immune system which is beneficial in these days when flus and other colds run rampant.

Juicing unlocking nutrients in raw foods. Fiber is locked into many vegetables and fruits and the potential benefit of the fiber is lost as the digestive system does not unlock it. Juicing releases the fiber’s nutrition so that benefit may be realized.

Normally we do not consume peelings, seeds and pits of fruits and vegetables. These parts are a rich source of vital nutrients we normally throw away. A good quality juicer extracts juice from the whole veggie or fruit, including peelings, pits and seeds to provide vitamin and minerals that would otherwise be lost. I have also decided to keep the pulp that our juicer spits out and we make muffins and loafs with the leftovers:)

Heat kills live enzymes. A quality juicer minimizes heat in order to preserve the most live enzymes possible.

Juice is an excellent snack or meal replacement.

Antioxidant effects of juices help detoxify your body and help you eliminate the toxins, fats, preservatives and chemicals that a diet of processed foods leave behind in your body.

The most readily digestible or absorbable form of foods, not to mention the most concentrated form, is juice. Juicing makes foods easy to digest and thus, easier for the body to receive maximum benefit from the source food.

Making your own juices allows you to make any combination of fruits or vegetables that you choose into juice – and you know what’s in it, unlike produce on the supermarket shelves.

I recieved a Champion Juicer (www.championjuicer.com) for Christmas two years ago and it has been amazing. Check out their website for more details.

The possibilities are endless and you can make an combination of fruits and veggies that you like. My kids love apples so in all the juices we always include apples. If you like tomatoes juices you can make them as well to make a natural V8 juice without the added sodium. V8 Juice = 5-6 carrots + 1 beet + 3 tomatoes + 1 bunch of spinach + 1 red bell pepper + 1 celery stalk + pinch of sea salt

Making these juices together has really reminded me of the importance of teaching my children by example. I have been able to explain to them how there are natural sugars in fruits that are good for us rather than the added sugars that we find in juice boxes and such. (We do drink juice boxes, but only as treats) And on another level I have realized that my kids learn more by my actions than by what I say. When I get them involved and we are hands on together it teaches them more than if I just do everything for them. So I encourage you to do things together and let them have the experience. It is definitely more time consuming and messy but I trust that it is worth the investment!